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The Seattle Storm visits the White House to celebrate the team's WNBA championship and lead a basketball clinic for area kids.

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Today President Obama welcomed the WNBA Champion Seattle Storm to the White House. He congratulated the team on its 2010 season and its championship title. The President took the opportunity to pay tribute to the WNBA, which in just fifteen years has become the most successful women’s professional sports league in the world. He also observed that the Storm’s championship was a historic victory: “Three years ago, when this team’s future in Seattle was uncertain, four season ticket holders joined forces to become co-owners. Now they’re also the first all-female ownership group in American history to win a championship.”

In addition to winning basketball games, the Storm is active in a wide variety of service projects. These include promoting childhood literacy, as well as encouraging local organizations to work toward reducing their environmental footprint. During the Storm’s visit to DC, the team held a clinic for young people on the White House basketball court. As the President said today, “the Storm family understands that being a champion doesn’t stop when you step off the court.”

President Barack Obama shows the championship ring he received as a gift with Seattle Storm’s Sue Bird, left, and Swin Cash, right, during a ceremony in the Rose Garden of the White House to honor the team’s 2010 championship season, June 29, 2011. (Official White House Photo by Samantha Appleton)